Corinth: Roman Capital of Greece [6:45]

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· Introduction
0:01 · Twice Corinth was the most important
0:04 · city on the Greek mainland. During the
0:06 · archaic period, the 7th and 6th
0:09 · centuries BC, Corinth was the commercial
0:12 · center of Greece, a pioneer in naval
0:15 · warfare and the mother city of many
0:17 · important colonies.
0:19 · Half a millennium later, after having
0:21 · been destroyed by the Romans and
0:23 · refounded by Julius Caesar, Corinth
0:26 · became the capital of Aia, the Roman
0:29 · province that included most of Greece.
0:32 · It grew larger and more prosperous than
0:34 · Athens, and its center was rebuilt on
0:37 · the Roman model. The Apostle Paul lived
0:40 · here for 18 months and was brought
0:42 · before the seat of the proconsul Gallio
0:45 · in the forum. Despite repeated
0:48 · earthquake damage, the city survived to
0:51 · the end of late antiquity.
0:56 · We'll start our tour of the ruins with
· Temple of Apollo
0:58 · the oldest and most prominent building
1:00 · in the city center, the Temple of
1:03 · Apollo. Built around the middle of the
1:06 · 6th century BC, its columns were cut
1:08 · from the local poros limestone and
1:11 · coated with stucco.
1:14 · Unusually for a Greek temple, the
1:16 · columns are monolithic.
1:18 · The surviving columns belonged to the
1:20 · back facade. Though only the foundation
1:23 · cutings survive of the vanished part,
1:26 · you can see that like many early Doric
1:28 · temples, the building was exceptionally
1:31 · long for its width.
1:33 · The temple survived the sack that
1:35 · destroyed Hellenistic Corinth and was
1:37 · restored by the Roman colonists. Its
1:40 · interior columns removed during that
1:42 · renovation can be seen elsewhere on the
1:45 · site.
· Forum
1:47 · From here we have a good view of the
1:49 · forum divided into upper and lower
1:52 · terraces by a row of shops. Off to our
1:56 · left was the Layan Road which led down
1:59 · to one of Corinth Harpers. That road
2:02 · like this forum dated to the Roman era.
2:05 · Corinth Griagura was elsewhere.
2:08 · Here
2:10 · on the west side of the agura's upper
2:12 · terrace, a series of shops alternated
2:15 · with small temples in the Roman style.
2:18 · The back of the forum's upper terrace
2:20 · was dominated by the enormous South
2:23 · Stowa, a late classical building
2:26 · repaired by the Romans. It was two
2:29 · stories tall and originally had 33 shops
2:32 · and restaurants opening from its ground
2:34 · floor. Over time, many of these spaces
2:38 · were converted for official use.
2:41 · On this end of the south stoa were the
2:44 · Kiraia where the city council met and
2:47 · also the office of the procurator, a
2:50 · financial official associated with the
2:52 · proconsul of aa.
2:54 · Just below on the lower terrace was the
2:57 · Julian Basilica, an all-purpose public
3:00 · building decorated with statues of the
3:02 · imperial family.
· Rostra
3:06 · At the center of the row of shops that
3:08 · separated the upper and lower terraces
3:10 · of the forum was an imposing marble
3:13 · rostra 10 ft above the lower terrace.
3:16 · This is almost certainly the beimma or
3:19 · speaker's platform on which the
3:20 · proconsul of a sat when he judged cases.
3:24 · It was quite likely here that Gallio
3:26 · refused to try St. Paul after the elders
3:29 · of the local synagogue accused him of
3:31 · preaching doctrines contrary to Jewish
3:33 · law.
3:34 · In commemoration of the event, a
3:37 · Byzantine church was built over the
3:38 · site.
· Lechaion Road
3:40 · This was the Layan Road, the Cardom
3:43 · Maximus, main north south street of the
3:46 · Roman city. It was named after the
3:49 · harbor at its terminus a mile and a half
3:51 · away. The road was paved with limestone
3:54 · in the reign of Espasian and remained in
3:56 · use through the Middle Ages. Almost all
3:58 · the monuments that lined it, however,
4:00 · date to the Roman era. The road is lined
4:03 · with colonades, a feature rare in
4:05 · Greece.
4:08 · On the right side of the Leean road is
4:10 · the famous fountain of Perini. According
4:13 · to one myth, it rose up after Pegasus
4:16 · stamped his hoof here. Though used since
4:18 · the beginnings of the city, it was
4:20 · monumentalized under the Romans. In its
4:22 · current form, it dates to the second
4:24 · century. The spring's six straw basins
4:27 · were surrounded by a twostory marble
4:29 · facade equipped with shady al coes where
4:32 · people could sit and talk. The fountain
4:34 · remained in use well into the medieval
4:36 · era.
· Sacred Spring
4:38 · Like the temple of Apollo, the sacred
4:40 · spring complex is much older than the
4:42 · Roman forum. The first structure around
4:45 · this natural seep dates the 6th century
4:47 · BC. It was renovated several times and
4:51 · eventually adjoined by a small area used
4:53 · for rituals and performances. The area
4:55 · around it was sacred. Intriguingly, a
4:58 · statue base at the wall's west end
5:00 · reads, "Lissipus made it." Elizabeth was
5:03 · one of the most famous sculptures in
5:04 · classical Greece. But whatever stood in
5:06 · this pedestal was stolen by the Romans
5:08 · in the sack of 146 BC.
· Odeon
5:13 · Corinth Odon, used for musical and
5:15 · rhetorical performances, had about 3,000
5:18 · seats. It was remodeled by Herod's
5:21 · Attakus, the awesomely wealthy second
5:23 · century magnate known for his building
5:25 · projects at Athens in Olympia.
5:29 · After fire damaged the building in the
5:31 · 3rd century, it was converted into a
5:34 · Roman style arena by removing the first
5:36 · row of seats and building a protective
5:38 · wall.
· Theater
5:42 · The theater, built in the classical
5:44 · period and reconstructed by the Romans,
5:46 · once had an elaborate three-story stage
5:49 · building. This is long gone, but you can
5:52 · still see how the theater, like the
5:53 · Odon, was made into a venue for beast
5:56 · hunts and gladiatorial matches by
5:58 · cutting away the lowest seats and
6:01 · cutting the underlying rock into a sheer
6:03 · protective wall. This service was
6:05 · decorated with fresco of beast hunters,
6:08 · now lost.
6:11 · In the late 3rd century, the arena was
6:14 · sealed with waterproof mortar so that
6:16 · aquatic spectacles could be staged
6:18 · there.
6:20 · Like Corinth itself, in short, the
6:22 · theat's Greek origins were repeatedly
6:24 · overwritten to reflect the city's
6:27 · prominent place in a Roman world.

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--> YouTube-Generated Transcript <--
	·	Introduction
0:01	·	Twice Corinth was the most important
0:04	·	city on the Greek mainland. During the
0:06	·	archaic period, the 7th and 6th
0:09	·	centuries BC, Corinth was the commercial
0:12	·	center of Greece, a pioneer in naval
0:15	·	warfare and the mother city of many
0:17	·	important colonies.
0:19	·	Half a millennium later, after having
0:21	·	been destroyed by the Romans and
0:23	·	refounded by Julius Caesar, Corinth
0:26	·	became the capital of Aia, the Roman
0:29	·	province that included most of Greece.
0:32	·	It grew larger and more prosperous than
0:34	·	Athens, and its center was rebuilt on
0:37	·	the Roman model. The Apostle Paul lived
0:40	·	here for 18 months and was brought
0:42	·	before the seat of the proconsul Gallio
0:45	·	in the forum. Despite repeated
0:48	·	earthquake damage, the city survived to
0:51	·	the end of late antiquity.
0:56	·	We'll start our tour of the ruins with
	·	Temple of Apollo
0:58	·	the oldest and most prominent building
1:00	·	in the city center, the Temple of
1:03	·	Apollo. Built around the middle of the
1:06	·	6th century BC, its columns were cut
1:08	·	from the local poros limestone and
1:11	·	coated with stucco.
1:14	·	Unusually for a Greek temple, the
1:16	·	columns are monolithic.
1:18	·	The surviving columns belonged to the
1:20	·	back facade. Though only the foundation
1:23	·	cutings survive of the vanished part,
1:26	·	you can see that like many early Doric
1:28	·	temples, the building was exceptionally
1:31	·	long for its width.
1:33	·	The temple survived the sack that
1:35	·	destroyed Hellenistic Corinth and was
1:37	·	restored by the Roman colonists. Its
1:40	·	interior columns removed during that
1:42	·	renovation can be seen elsewhere on the
1:45	·	site.
	·	Forum
1:47	·	From here we have a good view of the
1:49	·	forum divided into upper and lower
1:52	·	terraces by a row of shops. Off to our
1:56	·	left was the Layan Road which led down
1:59	·	to one of Corinth Harpers. That road
2:02	·	like this forum dated to the Roman era.
2:05	·	Corinth Griagura was elsewhere.
2:08	·	Here
2:10	·	on the west side of the agura's upper
2:12	·	terrace, a series of shops alternated
2:15	·	with small temples in the Roman style.
2:18	·	The back of the forum's upper terrace
2:20	·	was dominated by the enormous South
2:23	·	Stowa, a late classical building
2:26	·	repaired by the Romans. It was two
2:29	·	stories tall and originally had 33 shops
2:32	·	and restaurants opening from its ground
2:34	·	floor. Over time, many of these spaces
2:38	·	were converted for official use.
2:41	·	On this end of the south stoa were the
2:44	·	Kiraia where the city council met and
2:47	·	also the office of the procurator, a
2:50	·	financial official associated with the
2:52	·	proconsul of aa.
2:54	·	Just below on the lower terrace was the
2:57	·	Julian Basilica, an all-purpose public
3:00	·	building decorated with statues of the
3:02	·	imperial family.
	·	Rostra
3:06	·	At the center of the row of shops that
3:08	·	separated the upper and lower terraces
3:10	·	of the forum was an imposing marble
3:13	·	rostra 10 ft above the lower terrace.
3:16	·	This is almost certainly the beimma or
3:19	·	speaker's platform on which the
3:20	·	proconsul of a sat when he judged cases.
3:24	·	It was quite likely here that Gallio
3:26	·	refused to try St. Paul after the elders
3:29	·	of the local synagogue accused him of
3:31	·	preaching doctrines contrary to Jewish
3:33	·	law.
3:34	·	In commemoration of the event, a
3:37	·	Byzantine church was built over the
3:38	·	site.
	·	Lechaion Road
3:40	·	This was the Layan Road, the Cardom
3:43	·	Maximus, main north south street of the
3:46	·	Roman city. It was named after the
3:49	·	harbor at its terminus a mile and a half
3:51	·	away. The road was paved with limestone
3:54	·	in the reign of Espasian and remained in
3:56	·	use through the Middle Ages. Almost all
3:58	·	the monuments that lined it, however,
4:00	·	date to the Roman era. The road is lined
4:03	·	with colonades, a feature rare in
4:05	·	Greece.
4:08	·	On the right side of the Leean road is
4:10	·	the famous fountain of Perini. According
4:13	·	to one myth, it rose up after Pegasus
4:16	·	stamped his hoof here. Though used since
4:18	·	the beginnings of the city, it was
4:20	·	monumentalized under the Romans. In its
4:22	·	current form, it dates to the second
4:24	·	century. The spring's six straw basins
4:27	·	were surrounded by a twostory marble
4:29	·	facade equipped with shady al coes where
4:32	·	people could sit and talk. The fountain
4:34	·	remained in use well into the medieval
4:36	·	era.
	·	Sacred Spring
4:38	·	Like the temple of Apollo, the sacred
4:40	·	spring complex is much older than the
4:42	·	Roman forum. The first structure around
4:45	·	this natural seep dates the 6th century
4:47	·	BC. It was renovated several times and
4:51	·	eventually adjoined by a small area used
4:53	·	for rituals and performances. The area
4:55	·	around it was sacred. Intriguingly, a
4:58	·	statue base at the wall's west end
5:00	·	reads, "Lissipus made it." Elizabeth was
5:03	·	one of the most famous sculptures in
5:04	·	classical Greece. But whatever stood in
5:06	·	this pedestal was stolen by the Romans
5:08	·	in the sack of 146 BC.
	·	Odeon
5:13	·	Corinth Odon, used for musical and
5:15	·	rhetorical performances, had about 3,000
5:18	·	seats. It was remodeled by Herod's
5:21	·	Attakus, the awesomely wealthy second
5:23	·	century magnate known for his building
5:25	·	projects at Athens in Olympia.
5:29	·	After fire damaged the building in the
5:31	·	3rd century, it was converted into a
5:34	·	Roman style arena by removing the first
5:36	·	row of seats and building a protective
5:38	·	wall.
	·	Theater
5:42	·	The theater, built in the classical
5:44	·	period and reconstructed by the Romans,
5:46	·	once had an elaborate three-story stage
5:49	·	building. This is long gone, but you can
5:52	·	still see how the theater, like the
5:53	·	Odon, was made into a venue for beast
5:56	·	hunts and gladiatorial matches by
5:58	·	cutting away the lowest seats and
6:01	·	cutting the underlying rock into a sheer
6:03	·	protective wall. This service was
6:05	·	decorated with fresco of beast hunters,
6:08	·	now lost.
6:11	·	In the late 3rd century, the arena was
6:14	·	sealed with waterproof mortar so that
6:16	·	aquatic spectacles could be staged
6:18	·	there.
6:20	·	Like Corinth itself, in short, the
6:22	·	theat's Greek origins were repeatedly
6:24	·	overwritten to reflect the city's
6:27	·	prominent place in a Roman world.